addicts

Before coming to drug intervention most families in the beginning think that the problem with their loved one is drugs, however drugs are actually the solution for drug addicts. Drug addicts are selling you hope that it will one day get better, and sell themselves complacency in the form of convincing themselves they will do it different tomorrow. The sad part is tomorrow never comes. Most addicts that we do drug intervention for are in denial of their addiction because they believe that the problem is everything but them. A perfect example is an addict receives a speeding ticket and it is not their fault, the cop was just a jerk, so the addict says. Drug intervention almost always deals with stubborn, self centered, self absorbed people, who take no accountability for their actions and blame their problems and every other person, place or thing, not to mention drug addicts lack responsibility. Very rarely when doing drug intervention do we have a person who is completely willing and has no denial. Just about all drug abusers think that if they can just fix everything else then they will be fine. Drug intervention educates families and teaches them what level of care your loved one needs and how to offer it, in a loving non-confrontational way.

A substance abuser is almost always willing to do the shortest and quickest level of treatment close to home without intervention for drugs guidance. This can and will be a serious problem because like everything else addicts and alcoholics are about instant gratification and taking the path of least resistance, that is one of the reasons substance abusers self medicate with drugs. How many times have I heard the family pays the bills, provides the car, buys the food, pays for a lawyer etc, and the addict is running the show. Addicts convince families that if confronted with drug intervention they would just walk or they wouldn’t go for it. Drug addicts actually try to manipulate you into thinking that the way things are right now are the way they should be. How many times during an intervention for drugs do we hear families say they will never go for the drug intervention and if we try to make them go to rehab they will just say no or walk away. Addicts try feverishly to convince the family that they can fix this problem by going to meetings or seeing a doctor or psychiatrist and promising you every time that when something bad happens that the will just stop using and they mean it this time.Drug intervention focuses on the fact that your loved one is the least qualified person in the entire family system to diagnose and treat themselves. Up until families decide to do drug intervention the addicts best thinking has been to take drugs.

Drug intervention are needed because addicts make our families believe they are the problem and the drug addiction should somehow be other peoples responsibility. It is important to understand that a drug intervention is far easier with a professional because with just the family by themselves, the drug addict will convince the family when confronted, that they can beat the addiction with the least level of care such as outpatient, doctors, psychiatrist, or meetings. Drug intervention teaches you to recognize all of the addicts manipulations. For example your loved one will lash out every time they are confronted until one day you do not confront them because they have created a learned behavior within the family that you will get nowhere. Families than call me for drug intervention and tell me it will never work or they will not go for it, because we just can’t talk to them. That’s ridiculous to let them manipulate you to that level.

They should be in more fear of you changing than you are of their addiction. If drug intervention is not sought for the family, the addict will continue to manipulate the family and get worse and worse in their addiction. Families always ask me what if the drug interventions fail, what if they do not go. My question is what if you don’t do anything, what if instead of drug intervention we just let them keep going. Sadly enough most families try for several years to fix it themselves before doing a drug intervention.